BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan. 26
Trend:
Azerbaijan pays special attention to the restoration of its territories liberated from Armenia’s occupation, Azerbaijani Permanent Representative to the UN Yashar Aliyev, who delivered a speech at an open debate at the UN Headquarters within the UN Security Council meeting entitled "War in Cities: Protection of Civilians", said, Trend reports.
Aliyev added that a solid framework of legally binding rules regulating the process of holding the military operations was developed in the world over the past years.
“The international jurisprudence has contributed to strengthening the international law, punishing the perpetrators of crimes, preventing the recurrence of such crimes, ensuring the rule of law and restoring peace,” the Azerbaijani permanent representative to the UN said.
Aliyev stressed that moreover, there are still big problems.
“According to the UN secretary general’s report on the protection of civilians, armed conflicts still result in big losses among the civilians, injury, psychological trauma, sexual violence, torture, the disappearance of people, as well as damage and destruction of houses, schools, hospitals,” the Azerbaijani permanent representative to the UN said.
Aliyev stressed that Azerbaijan resolutely condemns the violation of international humanitarian law.
“Armed conflicts in cities cause great damage to the civilians and infrastructure,” the Azerbaijani permanent representative to the UN added. “Azerbaijan was greatly affected by the devastating consequences of Armenia’s aggression in the early 1990s.”
Aliyev added that civilians and various settlements in Azerbaijan were repeatedly attacked throughout the entire period of the war.
“Hundreds of civilians were killed within several hours in the most severe cases of violation,” the Azerbaijani permanent representative to the UN said.
The permanent representative stressed that the 30th anniversary of the genocide committed against the Azerbaijani civilians in Khojaly city will be marked in February.
“As a result of Armenia’s attack on Khojaly and the capture of the city, hundreds of civilians, including women, children and the elderly, were brutally killed, severely injured, taken hostage and tortured while the city was destroyed,” Aliyev said.
The permanent representative stressed that as a result of the 44-day second Karabakh war, the conflict was resolved.
“Azerbaijan pays special attention to the issues of restoration of the liberated territories, safe return of internally displaced people,” Aliyev said.
The permanent representative stressed that after the end of the war, hundreds of Azerbaijani civilians were killed or injured as a result of mine explosions.
“Armenia has not provided accurate information about the hundreds of thousands of mines it has planted on the Azerbaijani territory,” Aliyev said. “Those who gave orders to attack the cities, settlements and villages of Azerbaijan during the conflict still go unpunished. On the contrary, most of them are glorified in Armenia as so-called "national heroes".”
The permanent representative said that it is necessary to be guided by the issues set out in concept letter # S/2022/23, including the more efficient use of the funds of the Security Council to prevent the problems that citizens face during hostilities in cities and observe the international humanitarian law, during the discussions at the meeting of the Security Council.
“The conflicts and new crimes often recur when offenders go unpunished,” the permanent representative said.
Aliyev said that the UN Security Council must pay special attention to the protection of civilians, demanding that all parties to armed conflicts fully comply with the obligations within international humanitarian law.